Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary series living up to its title in every way conceivable, Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel’ can only be described as intriguing. That’s because it comprises both archival footage as well as exclusive interviews with those close to the matter to shine a light upon the life and crimes of athlete turned drug kingpin, Owen Hanson. However, everything turned upside down for him a few years into his endeavors as he caught the eye of both local police officials in Sydney, Australia, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Believing Himself to be an Underdog, Owen Hanson Has Always Had Unwavering Perseverance
Although born into a seemingly tight-knit middle-class blue-collar family in Redondo Beach, California, as the eldest of two children, Owen Hanson actually grew up in a broken home. He still remembers that while his father was a hardworking construction professional, he had issues with alcohol abuse and addiction that often came to the forefront in the form of domestic fights. According to the aforementioned original, these fights were the worst when he was around 8 years old and his younger sister was 4, soon resulting in their mother asking for legal separation and divorce.
When Owen’s parents parted ways for good in the early 1990s, it was decided that he would remain with his father, whereas his sister would go with their mother, which affected him a lot. Jim Hanson admittedly never really wanted children, per the show, yet he embraced the role of a single parent and did his best to provide for his son while also pushing him towards sports. He was the one who taught the young boy volleyball before taking him to the beach for actual coaching and matches, inadvertently helping him figure out a way to regulate his emotions. According to Owen’s accounts, volleyball was his drug, his high, his peace, as well as his solace throughout his early and teenage years, so he worked hard to be the best player he could be.
That’s how Owen ended up at the University of Southern California’s collegiate team, but he was booted within a year because his vertical jump and arm were not up to their rising mark. The feedback of him not being good enough only ignited him, driving him to beef up using drugs/steroids from Mexico and then try out for the football team despite never having played before. His stature, power, and force impressed the coaches to such an extent that he became the only walk-on to be accepted into the Trojans team, which won the national championships in 2004 and 2005. Owen primarily only served as a backup player both these years, but he did build connections and kickstart his career as a dealer by smuggling steroids and cocaine to his peers.
Owen Hanson Was Heavily Involved With the Mexican Cartel Until He Was Busted in 2015
When Owen graduated from university, he admittedly felt left behind, considering he had to move back home with his father while many of his teammates were living the dream as NFL athletes. This propelled him to figure out a quick way to succeed too, so he dabbled in real estate in California and helmed a sports betting operation out of Costa Rica, until he realized the lucrativeness of drugs. Therefore, towards the late 2000s, the man often referred to as O-Dog in university and by peers, began smuggling party drugs from Mexico into the US in an attempt to deal them on a larger scale. This operation of his remained on the down low until it turned out that one of his associates was a member of the Mexican Cartel and looking to expand their business in Australia.
Owen has since revealed that his contact asked him over the “encrypted phone” if he would like to make a million dollars a day, to which the then-25-year-old obviously responded yes. Thus began his career as “cocaine quarterback,” which comprised him residing in Sydney, handling packages as well as sales, and then laundering money to be sent back to the boss in Mexico. The business gradually snowballed into an empire spanning South America, Central America, the US, and Australia, with him using the alias of Junior DeLuca, yet things changed when he lost $3.2 million.
One of Owen’s money laundering schemes, worth $2.4 million, went badly when RJ Cipriani lost it all in gambling, and another one of his associates was caught with $702,000 in cash. He managed to escape Australia and then the wrath of the cartel by promising them $4 million, which he earned by concocting a new smuggling operation/route from the US to Australia. He turned into a “mad scientist” and figured out a way to blend cocaine in wine, which can then be baked out to produce 95% pure powder. As for the smuggling, he did so with the help of new associates/connections.
Even though Owen lived large during this time with extravagant parties, indulgent shopping trips, lavish vehicles, luxury travels, and several properties, he had ongoing issues with RJ Cipriani. According to records, he was aggressive, threatening, and went as far as to disrespect his mother’s grave by having someone throw paint over it and photoshop him standing by with a shovel. In the end, RJ went to the FBI as an informant and signed a proffer (immunity-like deal) that limited the use of his statements against him, helping in the ultimate capture of Owen on September 9, 2015.
Owen Hanson Has Since Seemingly Turned Over a New Leaf
Owen was identified by the Department of Justice as the “leader of the violent” O-Dog racketeering enterprise, which gambled, laundered money, and trafficked drugs internationally from 2012 to 2015. As a result, in late 2017, he was sentenced to 255 months (21⅓ years) in federal prison, with an order to be under federal supervision for the rest of his life upon being granted release. Moreover, he was ordered to forfeit $5 million, including $100,000 in gold/silver coins, all his luxury cars and watches, sailboat, homes in Costa Rica, Mexico, and Peru, as well as interests in several businesses.
However, when Owen agreed to turn into a star witness against one of his associates in Australia, an attorney named Michael Croke, his sentence in terms of time behind bars was drastically reduced. Therefore, in March 2024, he was granted release into a halfway home in California to learn how to settle back into society, from where he was fully released on June 26, 2025. Since then, from what we can tell, he has been doing his best to move on from the past without hiding any aspect of it, determined to hopefully inspire others while also climbing the ladder of success once more. He has seemingly left behind his life of crime, his aliases of Junior DeLuca as well as Mr. Don Corleone, and his own drug abuse.
Today, 43-year-old Owen has returned to reside in Los Angeles, California – in Beverly Hills, to be precise – where he is gradually establishing himself as an entrepreneur. He is not only the co-author of his biography, ‘The California Kid: From USC Golden Boy to International Drug Kingpin’ (2024), but he is also making use of the MBA he earned from California Coast University while incarcerated. It was while he was in prison that he came up with the idea of making protein-based ice creams, which he started experimenting with even when he didn’t have a lot of resources behind bars. So, once he had his freedom, he launched California Ice Protein, which he is proudly operating to this day. As if that’s not enough, he has also evolved into a public figure, an inspirational speaker, and a leader of the fitness movement called No Excuses. He wholeheartedly believes his purpose is now to help others be the best version of themselves.
Read More: Where Are the Hanson Brothers Now?
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